Canadian Warplanes 5: de Havilland CC-115 Buffalo

de Havilland CC-115 Buffalo

(de Havilland Photo)

de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No. 115454). This Buffalo was delivered to No. 429 (Tac T) Squadron on 18 Sep 1967. It flew with No. 429 (Tac T) Squadron when it was renumbered. 115454 later flew with No. 442 (T&R) Squadron, CFB Comox, BC in 1974 in a white SAR scheme. On 7 Feb 1979 it was repainted in the yellow SAR scheme. It was stored for a time at CFD Mountain View, Ontario on 14 Oct 1992, but was rotated in and out of active service several times until c2005.

The Buffalo is a short takeoff and landing (STOL) utility transport turboprop aircraft developed from the earlier piston-powered DHC-4 Caribou.  The aircraft has extraordinary STOL performance and is able to take off in distances much shorter than most light aircraft can manage.

The Buffalo arose from a 1962 US Army requirement for a STOL transport capable of carrying the same payload as the CH-47A Chinook helicopter.  DHC based its design to meet the requirement on an enlarged version of its DHC-4 Caribou, already in large-scale service with the US Army, to be powered by General Electric T64 turboprops.  The Buffalo, was chosen as the winner of the US Army competition in early 1963, with four DHC-5s, designated YAC-2 (later CV-7A and subsequently C-8A) ordered.  The first of these aircraft made its maiden flight on 9 April 1964.  All four aircraft were delivered in 1965, the Buffalo carrying nearly twice the payload as the Caribou while having better STOL performance.

Company data claims a takeoff distance over a 50 ft (15 m) obstacle of 1,210 ft (369 m) at 41,000 lb (18,597 kg) and a landing distance of over a 50 ft (15 m) obstacle of 980 ft (299 m) at 39,100 lb (17,735 kg) for the DHC-5A model.  A production DHC-5D Buffalo was used for breaking time-to-height records for the weight category 12,000–16,000 kg (26,430–35,242 lb) on 16 February 1976, reaching 3,000 m (9,836 ft) in 2 min 12.75 sec, 6,000 m (19,672 ft) in 4 min 27.5 sec and 9,000 m (29,508 ft) in 8 min 3.5 sec.

The RCAF first acquired 15 DHC-5A designated as CC-115 for tactical transports.  These were initially operated at CFB St Hubert, QC by No. 429 Squadron in a tactical aviation role as part of Mobile Command.  In 1970, the Buffalo aircraft were transferred to a transport and rescue role with No. 442 Squadron, No. 413 Squadron, No. 424 Squadron as part of Transport Command.  No. 426 Squadron also flew the aircraft for training.  Some were leased back or loaned back to the factory for trials and eventually returned to military service.

Three of the aircraft were also deployed on UN missions to the Middle East with No. 116 Transport Unit until 1979. They had a white paint scheme which was retained while they were serving in domestic transport with 424 Sqn in between deployments.  On 9 August 1974, CF Buffalo (Serial No. 115461) was shot down by a Syrian surface-to-air missile, killing all nine CF personnel on board.  This represents the single biggest loss of Canadian lives on a UN mission as well as the most recent Canadian military aircraft to be shot down.

In 1975, the Buffalo dropped its tactical transport role and was converted to domestic search and rescue, except for a few that kept serving on UN missions.  The initial paint scheme for the SAR converted aircraft were white and red while others still had the original drab paint.  The previous drab paint and white paint were eventually replaced with the distinctive yellow and red scheme commonly seen today.  The number of aircraft have been reduced to eight, with six on active service, one in storage (recently dismantled) and one used for battle damage training.  The remaining operational Buffalos operate in the Search and Rescue (SAR) role for No. 442 Squadron at CFB Comox, British Columbia.  Air Command was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 2011, meaning the CC-115 has served with the RCAF, Air Command and now the RCAF once again.  The Buffalo was replaced by the Lockheed CC-130 Hercules aircraft at search-and-rescue bases in CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia and CFB Trenton, Ontario.  In 2016, the Department of Defense awarded Airbus a contract for 16 C-295s with delivery scheduled to begin in 2019 and running through 2022.  Production of the DHC-5A ended in 1972 after sales to Brazil and Peru but restarted with the DHC-5D model in 1974. This variant sold to several overseas air forces beginning with Egypt.  Production of the DHC-5D ended in December 1986.

de Havilland DHC-5, CC-115 Buffalo (15), (Serial Nos. 9451-9465, later re-numbers 115451-115465).

(DND Photo)

de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No. 115463) over CFB Trenton in 1982. 115463 was delivered to No. 429 (Tac T) Squadron on 3 Oct 1968. It was flying with No. 429 (Tac T) Squadron when it was renumbered. It was loaned to de Havilland Canada in 1972, Reg. No. CF-DJU, for display at the Transpo 72 exhibition, Dulles airport, Washington, DC. It had been converted to SAR configuration by 17 Mar 1976. 115463 was observed in the white paint scheme at CFB Trenton in Sep 1981, likely with No. 424 (T&R) Squadron. In June and Sep 1981, it flew in an airshow at Greenham Common, UK. It was observed painted in camouflage at CFB Trenton in June 1990. It was stored stored at CFD Mountain View, Ontario on 13 May 1992. First offered for sale in 1994, it was sold to Sky Relief Ltd. in Zimbabwe in Sep 1995, Reg. No. Z-SRG. It was delivered via Goose Bay, Iceland, Newcastle, Corfuto, Harare, Zimbabwe.

DND Photo)

de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No. 115463) over CFB Trenton in 1982.

(John Davies - CYOW Airport Watch)

de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No. 115456). This Buffalo was delivered to No. 429 (Tac T) Squadron on 9 Nov 1967. Renumbered, it was converted to SAR configuration by 29 Oct 1975. 115456 flew with No. 442 (T&R) Squadron, CFB Comox, BC by 1977, when it visited Abbottsford, BC in white SAR scheme. It also carried out fisheries patrols in 1977. It was still flying in its white paint scheme on 7 Feb 1979. It was on display in the yellow SAR paint scheme at an airshow at Fairford in the UK on 22 July 1989. 115456 in the yellow SAR paint scheme, carried the Canadian Forces Parachute Team, the Sky Hawks, at Bromont, QC in 1993, and again at the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa on 1 July 2002.

The CC-115 Buffalo aircraft flew an impressive 55 years in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1967 to 2022.

The first CC-115s were stationed at No. 429 Squadron in Saint-Hubert, Quebec, where they performed a medium tactical transport role, such as transportation of troops and equipment. In the 1970s, most of the Buffalo fleet were transitioned to search and rescue (SAR) operations at 413 Squadron (Summerside, Prince Edward Island), No. 424 Squadron (Trenton, Ontario), No. 440 Squadron (Edmonton, Alberta) and No. 442 Squadron (Comox, British Columbia). As a SAR aircraft, the Buffalo was capable of performing searches over land and sea, supporting rescues and searches with illumination flares, as well as parachuting SAR Technicians, rescue supplies and equipment to aeronautical and marine emergencies. It was also used for medical evacuations and transport.

The Buffalo also participated in exercises and operations around the world. On 9 Aug 1974, while on a peacekeeping mission, an unarmed CC-115 Buffalo was shot down by Syrian missiles during a regular resupply mission in the Middle East. All nine Canadian peacekeepers onboard were killed. It was the largest single-day loss of Canadian Armed Forces personnel in a peace support operation and led to the establishment of National Peacekeepers' Day, which is marked annually in Canada on 9 Aug.

By the early 2000s, the remaining Buffalo fleet was based entirely at No. 442 Squadron where it served a vast territory from British Columbia to the Yukon, and from the Rocky Mountains to 1,200 kilometers out over the Pacific Ocean. The aircraft’s agility and all-weather capabilities were well suited for the rough and mountainous terrain on Canada’s West Coast because it could take off and land on rugged strips as short as a soccer field. It was also known for “valley shoots” where the aircraft could slowly descend from a mountain top to sea level.

(Alain Rioux Photo)

de Havilland CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No 115451), No. 424 Squadron, CFB Trenton, visiting CFB Summerside, 25 June 1987.

de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No. 115451). First flown on 17 May 1967, as Reg. No. CF-LAQ. 115451 was delivered to AETE on 17 May 1968. It was leasedback to de Havilland Canada for trials on 15 July 1970, Reg. No, CF-LAQ. 115451 went to Bell-Textron for aircushion trials on 15 Nov 1971, then back to the CAF. It made its first flight in this configuration in Aug 1973, by the 4950th Test Wing, USAF. It carried US designation XC-8A for these tests. It then went to AETE, CFB Cold Lake, Alberta, in 1975. The lease for this testing period ended on 30 Apr 1979. 115451 was converted to the SAR configuration by de Havilland Canada by 30 Oct 1979. It the early 1990s, 115451 was assigned to No. 424 (T&R) Squadron, CFB Trenton, Ontario. It was transferred to No. 442 (T&R) Squadron, CFB Comox, BC, by 1997.

(David Dickinson Photo)

de Havilland Canada CC-8A Buffalo (Serial No. 115451), Air Cushion Landing Test aircraft, Yellowknife, NWT, 1975.  This aircraft was used in joint Canada - USA trials, in a a unique program where the modified Buffalo landed on ice, snow or water with an inflatable rubber air cushion under the belly and wing floats.

After demonstrations by Bell aircraft using a Lake LA-4 light amphibian with Air Cushion Landing Gear the development of this type of gear was pursued in a joint effort between the USAF and the Canadian Government by retrofitting a similar system to a medium cargo transport, a Buffalo.  The air supply to the cushion was provided by an air supply package consisting of a PT6F-70 and two-stage axial flow fan under each wing.  The aircraft also had underwing combination floats/skids.

(Author Photo)

de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No. 115451), Slemon Park, Summerside, PEI, 22 June 2023.

(Photo courtesy of the Canadian Aviation Preservation Association)

de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No. 115459). This Buffalo was delivered to No. 429 (Tac T) Squadron on 31 Jan 1968. It had been converted to SAR configuration by 17 Mar 1976. 115459 was flown in the yellow SAR paint scheme by No. 413 (T&R) Squadron, CFB Summerside, PEI, in 1979. It was withdrawn from service and stored at CFD Mountain View on 22 May 1991. It was offered for sale on 14 Oct 1992. It was sold to Sky Relief Ltd. in Zimbabwe on 18 Jan 1996, Reg. No. ZSRF. Delivered via Goose Bay, Iceland, Newcastle, Corfu to Harare, Zimbabwe.

(RCAF Photo via Chris Charland)

de Havilland CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No. 115458), dropping SAR Technicians, No. 442 Squadron, CFB Comox, British Columbia. This Buffalo was delivered to No. 429 (Tac T) Squadron on 2 Jan 1968. 115458 was serving with No. 429 (Tac T) Squadron when it was renumbered. It had been converted to SAR configuration by 17 Mar 1976. It was flying with No. 442 (T&R) Squadron, CFB Comox, BC, in white SAR scheme by 1974. 115458 carried a stork symbol on tail, after a baby girl delivered onboard during a medivac flight on 29 Apr 1975. It was withdrawn from use and stored at CFD Mountain View, Ontario, on 23 Jul 1992. It was offered for sale on 14 Oct 1992. Sold to Sky Relief Ltd in Zimbabwe on 7 Sep 1995, Reg. No. Z-SRF. Delivered via Goose Bay, Iceland, Newcastle, Corfu to Harare, Zimbabwe. Reportedly used for spares, broken up by 1997.

(Mike Freer - Touchdown Aviation Photo)

de Havilland CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No. 115463). This Buffalo was delivered to No. 429 (Tac T) Squadron on 3 Oct 1968. It was flying with No. 429 (Tac T) Squadron when renumbered. 116463 was loaned to de Havilland Canada in 1972,Reg. No. CF-DJU, for display at the Transpo 72 exhibition at Dulles airport, Washington, DC. It was converted to SAR configuration by 17 Mar 1976. 115463 was observed in the white paint scheme at CFB Trenton, Ontario in Sep 1981, probably with No. 424 (T&R) Squadron. It was flown in an airshow at Greenham Common, UK, in June and Sep 1981, in the white scheme. 115463 was at CFB Trenton in camouflage in June 1990. It was withdrawn from service and stored at CFD Mountain View, Ontario on 13 May 1992. First offered for sale in 1994, it was sold to Sky Relief Ltd. in Zimbabwe aa of Sep 1995, Reg. No. Z-SRG. Delivered via Goose Bay, Iceland, Newcastle, Corfuto, Harare, Zimbabwe.

(Alain Rioux Photo)

de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No. 115463), No. 424 Squadron.

(Aldo Bidini Photo)

de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalo painted as (Serial No. 115461), in UN service.  This aircraft was restored and placed on display at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in tribute to that fateful flight.  It was originally flown by the Sudanese Air Force, and later restored & painted by museum staff and volunteers to commemorate the “Buffalo Nine.” This DHC-5A airframe, c/n 85, was ex-Sudanese Air Force (Serial No. 811), ex-Sudan Airways ST-AHP), in the US.

Nine Canadian Armed Forces members serving with the UN peace mission in Egypt were killed on 9 Aug 1974, when the de Havilland CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No. 115461), they were flying in was shot down by three Syrian missiles while making a routine supply run to the mission in the Golan Heights.  The loss of Buffalo 461 remains the largest single-incident loss of life in the history of Canadian peacekeeping operations.

UN Flight 51 was Buffalo 461's last flight designation, for a routine scheduled supply trip from Ismailia, Egypt, to Damascus, Syria. Five crew members and four military passengers were on board when the aircraft took off from Beirut International Airport after a stopover. The First Officer, Captain Keith Mirau, received clearance to enter Syrian airspace from the Damascas air traffic control centre at 0945 GMT. Shortly after crossing from Lebanon into Syria the plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile launched from a Syrian airfield. Moments later two more missiles struck and destroyed the plane, scattering wreckage across a field near the Syrian town of Ad Dimas.  All nine on board were killed,